Leonard woods



(No Model.) L. WOODS.

REVOLVING EGG CABINET. No. 586,410. Patented July 13, 1897.

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WITNESSES 3 INVENTER fi a Law I ii;

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LEONARD WVOODS, OF DE SOTO, MISSOURI.

.REVOLVING EGG-CABINET.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 586,410, dated July 13, 1897.

Application filed March 8,1897.

To all whom it mag concern:

Be it known that I, LEONARD WOODS, of De Soto, in the county of Jefferson and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Egg-Turners; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention has for its object the production of a simple and efiective egg-turning de vice for incubators, and to so construct the turning device as to render it capable of being readily taken apart and folded in compact shape when not in use for storage or shipment.

To this end my invention consists in a rotary turner mounted on a shaft journaled in standards and provided with a series of removable shelves each carrying holders to support the eggs, said shelves being fastened on one side by a removable rod or bar which, when removed, permits the said shelves to be drawn out, and the said rotary egg-turner being connected, when desired, bya stay pin or bolt to the standards, so as to prevent it from movinggin order to maintain one portion of the eggs uppermost.

My invention also consists in certain other novel constructions, combinations, and arrangements of parts, as will be hereinafter I more fully described, and specifically set forth in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation view of an egg-turner constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is'an end elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section. taken through the eg -turner, looking down upon one of the removable shelves. Fig. 4 is a large detail view, in side elevation, of a portion of a shelf, showing the construction of the egg-holders. Fig. 5 is a top or plan view of the same.

Referring to the drawings the numeral 1 designates the rotary egg-turner, which is constructed of two side boards or pieces 2, a top board 3, and a bottom board 4, of such length and width as desired. This egg-turner frame is provided with a shaft 4, extending across between its side boards and having its ends 5 projecting through the same and journaled in the upper ends of side standards 6. These two standards are connected at the Serial No. 626,454. (No model.)

bottom by a cross-bar 7, the ends of which are passed through said standard and secured by a stop-pin 8, inserted through the same; This construction provides a stanch threesided base-frame or stand, which may be readily disconnected and packed in compact shape for shipping or other purposes.

The shaft 4: passes centrally through the side boards of the egg-turner frame, and the said frame is thereby adapted to be rotated, so as to have either of its ends uppermost. Each of the side boards 2 of the egg-turner frame is provided with a series of grooves, formed by spaced ledge-pieces 8, to receive and support removable shelves 9. These shelves are made as wide as the side boards 2 of the egg-turner frame and are adapted to be entered into grooves formed by the ledges 8 at one side of the frame, fixed vertical bars 10 being provided at the opposite side to limit the movement of the shelves in that direction when the shelves have been inserted in position. A removable bar 11 is provided at the opposite side of the frame and is adapted to be disengaged from the frame whenever it is desired to remove the shelves. The lower end of this removable bar 11 is inserted in an opening 12 in the end board 4 of the eggturner frame, or a metal socket attached thereto, and its upper end is adapted to enter an opening 13 in the other end board 3, the said bar being provided with an eye 14, with which a hook 15 on said end board is adapted to engage to hold the removable rod in position.

The removable shelves 9 are constructed with a series of spaced longitudinally-extending cleats 16, between which are longitudinal strips or layers 17 of felt. A series of eggholders are also arranged between two adjoinin g cleats and are constructed of clips 18, formed of spring-wire, a series of these clips being placed between the rows formed by adjoining cleats along the entire length of the shelves and at suitable distances apart.

The clips 18 are each formed of two pieces of wire 18 and 18 each having an outwardly or oppositely projecting semicircular main portion 18, adapted to clamp about the egg, and downward and lateral end extensions 18 which project under and are clamped by the cleats 16.

In practice the point or butt of the egg, as the case may be, rests upon the strip or layer 17 of felt and is clamped by the egg-holding clips 18. v

In the process of incubation it has been found necessary in order to secure the best results to turn the eggs at certain periods, and for this purpose my invention has been devised. In the beginning, for instance, the eggs may be inserted point down upon the felt layers and maintained in such position by the spring-clip holders, and at the end of a predetermined time the egg-turner may be rotated on its shaft at so as to bring the other sides of the shelves uppermost, thus leaving the eggs hanging pendent from the springclips on the other side of said shelves and with their butt-ends uppermost. The springolips clamp the eggs tightly and prevent them from falling out.

A stay-pin 19, projecting through an opening in one of the standards 6, is provided to enter an opening 20 in the side boards of the egg-turner frame adjacent each end board thereof in order that the said frames may be held stationary.

Shelves constructed substantially in accordance with my invention may be advantageously employed in egg-crates or egg-holders of various kinds.

My invention provides a simple and effective construction of egg-turner which maybe manufactured at small cost and is adapted to be collapsed or taken apart and folded in order that it may be packed away or shipped in compact shape.

I claim- 1. In an egg-turner, the combination of a knockdown or foldable supporting-frame, an'

egg-turner frame mounted on a shaft journaled in said supporting-frame and provided limit the movement of the shelves in that direction, a removable bar at the other side adapted to be detached to allow the shelves to be removed, and a stay pin or bolt engaging one of the said standards of the supporting-frame and the egg-frame to hold the latter in fixed position, substantially as described.

2. In egg-holders, the combination of a case or frame, removable shelves fitted in said'case or frame and each provided with egg rows formed by a series of longitudinally-extending cleats, a strip or layer of cushioning material between said cleats, and egg-clips in said rows each comprising two pieces of springwire bent to form semicircular, oppositelyprojecting clamping portions, and downward and lateral terminal extensions projecting under and clamped by the said cleats, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

LEONARD WVOODS.

Witnesses:

E. T. TOBEY, ROBERT M. DENHOLM. 

